I Did It for You
by Ziggy Pasta
Summary: When holiday plans have to be canceled because Zack is sick, he realizes that sometimes things don't always go as planned, and sometimes love has a funny way of showing. A Valentine's Day-esque Zack/Cloud one-shot. Mild shounen-ai fluff.


I Did It for You

By: Ziggy Pasta

A/N: Hello! This may sound strange, but my New Year's Resolution was to write a one-shot. That may seem easy for some, but for me it's not, and if you follow my other stories you are more than familiar with my … long winded writing style. So this is my attempt at my first one-shot in over seven years, and my first attempt at something fluffy. Well, fluffy for my standards. I usually write angst and broody stuff. And not to mention this is a bit of a homage to my least favorite holiday. I dunno what's gotten into me today. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All related Final Fantasy VII characters are copyrighted © by the almighty Square Enix.

He was sick. He _had_ been sick. He was _probably going to still be_ sick by the time the holiday rolled around. He had spent the last few days mostly in the restroom, either sitting on the toilet or kneeling in front of it, and everywhere in between. His temperature didn't know which way to go – up, down, left, right ….

That's how sick he was – thinking that temperatures could move in any direction other than up or down.

But in reality, his fever was quite consistent – and persistent – and had been since the first day he contracted whatever it was that he had. Possibly a flu, but Zack was much too stubborn to spend not more than an hour at the infirmary getting checked out and treated. He would probably be spending that hour apologizing to Cloud for having to cancel the dinner plans he had reserved two months back for them, anyway.

He did have it all planned out, but now it was just a distant memory. Cloud wasn't much of a romantic, he knew this, but he also knew that he would at least appreciate a peaceful dinner at a good restaurant, maybe a stroll through LOVELESS Avenue, perhaps even ducking in and out of stores and just looking at things, but having no intent on buying. Zack had even planned on buying him a few gifts, but missions and now this illness prevented him from even stepping foot off the compound, let alone his quarters.

Hell, he was so weakened that he couldn't even step foot outside of his bedroom unless it meant to slink off to the restroom to vomit up whatever Cloud had tried to nourish him with.

And it wasn't that Cloud's cooking was bad. It wasn't gourmet, but it certainly was better than anything Zack could attempt. In fact, the moment that Cloud had called him asking about the holiday, he had heard the nasally tone of Zack's voice and was over in ten minutes with beef stew from the chow hall. After pushing Zack to eat it, he went into the kitchen to rummage through the little rations that Zack had to try and make something else for him, as if the big heaping bowl wasn't enough to suffice his lack of appetite.

Cloud was quite irked that Zack really hadn't gone grocery shopping in a few weeks, and even though Cloud had to report into the barracks later on that night, he left in a hurry to try and buy at least a decent amount of food to stock up until Zack was better and had free time to shop for himself. Zack felt bad that he was doing his shopping for him and made Cloud promise that he wouldn't go overboard.

An hour and a half later of going overboard, and Cloud came back hauling about fifteen bags in his arms. He had immediately dropped them down onto the floor once he entered, and he had visible red and blueish indents in his skin from the plastic handles – evidence that he had walked the entire way instead of taking a cab. He did get carsick, after all.

And he took no time to rest after that trip, and put everything away as fast as he could so he could start to make the SOLDIER something to eat, which admittedly Zack wasn't even that hungry. His stomach was in a constant churn of pain paired with a strange feeling like he had been kicked in the diaphragm by a chocobo, so food to him was about the last thing on his mind. But after all the trouble that Cloud went through to make him homemade chicken soup, Zack couldn't refuse.

The kitchen was a mess afterwards, Cloud looked a little tired, and not all the groceries had been put away, but when Zack tried to help him clean up, Cloud simply ordered him back to the room. Which he gladly obeyed, once he was able to stop the room from spinning long enough to find it.

He fell asleep quickly to the sounds of his cabinets opening and closing as his kitchen was cleaned, and the sound of Cloud humming quietly to himself.

Zack awoke to a cool hand on his forehead, and his eyes managed to flutter open to the view of his ceiling, and of the blond standing above him holding a glass of juice in one hand, and a thermometer in the other. He didn't even have time to glance at the clock to see what time it was before Cloud slipped the thermometer into his mouth and held it for him for the duration of three minutes. It didn't take long for the mercury to rise and reach the peak of his temperature, but Cloud still held it there for longer, just to be sure.

When the thermometer was switched with the glass of juice, he managed to catch a glimpse of the clock. It was four in the morning. What was Cloud doing at his apartment this early? He had tried to ask him how he managed to sneak out of the barracks for him to stop by, but Cloud just shook his head and offered up a vague explanation. In the end, all Cloud really said was, "I did it to take care of you."

Zack lowered himself back down onto his bed, and couldn't help but smile when Cloud had tugged the blankets up to his chin, and he felt his cool lips kiss his forehead. He drifted in and out for a while until the sun began to rise slowly in his room, and then the smell of eggs and toast hit his nose. Cloud entered his room again carrying in breakfast on a tray for him, and even offered to help feed him. Zack tried to scoff a laugh at him, but he was stricken with an onslaught of hoarse coughing, so Cloud propped up his pillows for him and held the bowl close to his chin as Zack managed to feed himself.

Zack knew Cloud was just trying to help, and he couldn't stop himself from enjoying the attention.

He finished his breakfast as Cloud moved back out into the kitchen to hurriedly clean. It was already five, and Zack could only assume that the unit back in the barracks was soon to wake. It was no use telling Cloud not to worry, as even if he received some flack for being caught sneaking out, Zack could always put in a call to his superiors and make up some sort of excuse for him to get him off the hook. He did it more times than Cloud knew about, and had he knew, Zack surely would have been scolded for a while about favoritism and the like. Cloud did worry too much, but it was just something that Zack grew to find endearing over the time that he knew him, and over the months that he grew to love him.

But that breakfast that Cloud so tenderly cooked him began to threaten to come back up. He kicked the blankets off and stumbled to the bathroom, where he saw Cloud beginning to leave out of the corner of his eye. He remembered muttering to Cloud, who looked as if he were to rush to his side, to ignore him and leave before he got in trouble. He didn't see where Cloud had gone after that as the next thing he remembered seeing was a flash of white in his eyes, and then the acidic taste of stomach acid and eggs filling his mouth.

It was revolting – literally the taste of his breakfast in reverse, and he never really thought that expression to be true until he experienced it for himself at that moment, so soon after eating. The muscles in his stomach were burning, clenching with each convulsion that wracked his weak body as it expelled the contents of his meal. Saliva dribbled from his parted lips, his labored panting echoing in the toilet bowl that surrounded his face … his whole body felt as if it were breaking down. It had been so long since he had felt like this that he forgot what it meant to not feel well, to say the least.

And it had felt like it had been even longer since he felt the tender touch of someone who cared deeply for him. He felt fingertips brushing against his damp neck as they gathered up his hair and held it back for him as his violent heaves dissipated into soft moans. Just that simple gesture was enough to seemingly wipe away all of his discomfort. Cloud even dabbed at his mouth with a tissue without even an ounce of disgust or hesitation.

Zack rested on the bathroom floor for a few moments as Cloud bustled about next to him at the sink, soaking a washcloth in cool water before wringing it out and patting Zack's heated skin with it.

Cloud was definitely late, and Zack couldn't stop himself from growing a little bit angry with him. Maybe it was because he was ashamed with himself for being weak, for showing Cloud a side of him that he never wanted him to see. He wanted to be the strong one, the one to look after Cloud should he ever need it, and now he felt as if Cloud would see him as someone who was invalid, who couldn't handle a simple flu. Or perhaps he was angry that Cloud would put him over his own responsibilities. Getting reprimanded for the sake of holding his hair back and watching him vomit wasn't something that Zack wanted Cloud to suffer for. It just wasn't worth it.

But Cloud just kneeled beside him and smiled, even when Zack's tone became short with him as he questioned him and his reasoning for willingly deciding to be late. All that Cloud said through that smile was, "I did it to comfort you."

Zack reluctantly crawled back into bed with Cloud's help, all the while still voicing his complaint over Cloud throwing caution to the wind, and before he realized it, Cloud had already kissed him on the forehead, told him he'd be back later, and left. He fell back asleep to his own scolding mumbles that eventually turned to thoughts, which then trailed off into nothing.

Later on that day, Cloud had come back carrying in more groceries. Zack had grown a bit restless and bored, so he was trying to get comfortable on the couch when the blond had entered grunting and setting down around the same number of bags that he had the day before, with the same number of indents in his skin as the day before. He coaxed Zack back down onto the couch when he had tried to get up to help him, and Cloud even went so far as to tuck a blanket around him, and went even farther to stuff the ends beneath his body as if to tie him down.

A familiar sitcom came on the television then, and that's when Zack realized what time it was. Cloud should have been down at the chow hall for lunch about this time, and yet here he was, making Zack a lunch, quite possibly with the intention of making nothing for himself. And sure enough, after another mess was made and after a short time went by, Cloud handed Zack an impressive-looking sandwich, complete with plain crackers and ginger ale for his stomach, yet had made nothing for himself.

Cloud wouldn't let Zack argue with him about it, claiming that he was in no position to be complaining about not taking care of himself, when Zack himself still hadn't gone to the infirmary, let alone taken any ounce of cold medicine to relieve his congestion and fever. So Zack sat there – defeated – and ate his sandwich in relative silence with Cloud sitting next to him closely on the couch. He had stroked his knee, watching him eat with a sense of accomplishment, whether that was because he felt empowered taking care of him, or because he actually outwitted him in an argument for once and managed to get him to shut up, Zack wasn't sure.

As they sat there, Zack felt himself beginning to nod off, and he could sense that Cloud had helped urge him down onto the couch again and tucked him in beneath the warm blanket. He fell asleep quickly to the sound of his cabinets opening and closing as his kitchen was cleaned, but Cloud was now silent. He didn't hear when Cloud left to resume his duties.

And he didn't hear when Cloud came back in about four hours later when his duties for the day lifted.

Zack had managed to muster enough strength to stand long enough to take a shower. Normally he'd only take about a ten minute shower, but his abdomen was sore from the vomiting, as well as the muscles in his neck. It felt so good to stand beneath the hot water, that he lost himself in it for what he assumed was forty minutes or so. When he exited the shower, he saw that his pajamas that he had discarded to the ground were gone, replaced with a fresh pair neatly folded on the counter.

He heard the front door close, and a moment later Cloud poked his head into the restroom with a soft greeting, as if he were to talk any louder it would cause Zack to feel worse. He rushed in when Zack strained a bit bending down to towel himself off, and they fought over the towel for a moment before Cloud won the battle and began to pat Zack's legs and back off tenderly. Zack just stood there through his shame mostly silent, only protesting when Cloud tried to dry between each of his toes for him.

Refusing Cloud's help was like trying to cast a Summon without summon materia. Zack just couldn't do it. Cloud was quite the stubborn boy, despite his usual timidness, but yet again, that was one more thing Zack loved about him. Cloud was complying; Cloud was also very defiant. So, the towel was slipped in between each of his toes, with inaudible growling on Zack's part, and he was even helped dressed much to his dismay.

When he had exited the restroom, he saw his laundry in various piles in various stages of completion organized on his couch. All attempts at questioning Cloud proved to be fruitless as he was led into the bedroom by the blond, where the smell of laundry soap hit him, even through the congestion in his nose. His bed looked so clean and enticing, and as he sat down on it, he could feel the relaxing heat from the blankets, as if they were just pulled out of the dryer and dressed on the bed for him with precision timing.

And what also seemed like precision timing was when Cloud swooped in with dinner ready for him on a tray, but in reality it was only the chicken soup leftovers. Zack was a bit relieved that Cloud didn't go through the trouble of not only doing his laundry, but cooking him a fresh meal, as he looked tired. He had begged Cloud to try and get some rest himself, but the blond didn't really seem to listen as he cleaned up his empty bowl for him. Zack stopped him before he exited the bedroom and asked him why he was running himself ragged like this, for his sake.

Cloud stopped and turned, and the tired aura he held not moments before was replaced with a familiar confidence that Zack knew all too well, and all Cloud said was, "I did it because I know you'll do it for me, one day."

Zack fell asleep quickly to the sound of his laundry being shaken out and folded in the living room, and to the sound of Cloud sighing softly to himself.

It was six in the morning this time, but Cloud was once again above Zack with his hands occupied with a glass of juice and a thermometer. He tried to grumble it all away, but Cloud just demanded it all back, much to Zack's early morning annoyance. The thermometer was held there just as long as the previous morning, and read just as intently, but now with a nod of approval from the blond. Zack was getting better, and he was feeling better.

Cloud, on the other hand, was looking pale and tired – lethargic even – and left Zack to wonder if he even had slept at all. His breathing was sounding thick, his voice mildly nasal. His movements were a bit sluggish, but even so, his smile towards Zack was still as strong as it had been the past few days. But any attempt at trying to get Cloud to lie down next to him and rest for a few hours went ignored.

About an hour later, Cloud came back into the room carrying that tray again, but this time it was garnished with a single yellow flower sitting in one of Zack's pilsner glasses. Cloud told him sheepishly, as he set the tray on his lap, that he had been patrolling the slums the past few days for monsters, and he ran into a young woman selling flowers down there. He explained to Zack that he couldn't find any vase in the apartment, so he had to use the glass as one instead. He then apologized to Zack for buying such a 'girly' gift, but he said that the flower reminded him of Zack – bright and cheery. He then went onto muttering something about that was how Zack himself made him feel, but then stopped when his face became overly red and he just embarrassed himself even more.

Zack was thankful that this time when he tried to laugh at Cloud, he didn't suffer an onslaught of coughing.

He fed himself this time, and Cloud just sat on the edge of the bed watching him. He lifted the bowl to finish off the oatmeal, and he noticed an envelope with his name written across below on the tray, and he looked up at Cloud who suddenly looked away from him.

Zack had forgotten the holiday was today, and now he found himself apologizing to Cloud for how it all turned out. He told him of the plans he had to spend the day with him, about the restaurant, about the gifts he wanted to give him – and still would when he got better – but Cloud cut him off with a small chuckle and told him that he understood, and that he would much rather just spend the day with him doing absolutely nothing, so long as it meant they were together.

Zack was admittedly a bit disappointed in how it turned out, but whatever made Cloud happy. And he was right – to Zack it was all the same in the end. As long as they were together.

Cloud collected the dirty dishes as Zack began to stretch and prepare himself to try and catch a little bit more sleep, just in case he felt up to taking Cloud out later on that evening, despite the canceled plans. He watched as Cloud placed the flower in the glass on his nightstand with the envelope propped up against it, and waited for Cloud to leave the room before he opened it. If he opened it while Cloud was nearby, he surely would be embarrassed, but Zack couldn't wait to find out what it was. It was obviously not something store bought, which meant it was from Cloud himself, and that was worth more than anything gil could by, in Zack's eyes.

But when he began to slide his fingertip beneath the flap, he could hear the sound of the dishes being deposited in the sink roughly, and Cloud begin to cough. Zack set the envelope back on the nightstand and hurried out into the kitchen where Cloud was leaning against the counter, his hand pressed against his forehead. They fought together for a moment as Zack tried to feel his temperature, but Zack won and switched Cloud's hand for his own. His skin was warm and a bit damp, he might have even looked a bit nauseous.

Cloud tried protesting as Zack grabbed him by the wrist and led him back to the bedroom to rest. Cloud was defiant; Zack was impossibly defiant.

They agreed on a truce to take care of themselves better, and then shared a spoon – not of chicken soup, or even ice cream, but of cough syrup. It wouldn't matter. Now their germs were all the same, and when they swallowed the medicine – and made respective disgusted faces afterwards – they shared a chaste kiss with each other on the lips, then nestled down onto the pillows in each other's arms.

_"I did it to take care of you."_

He didn't understand it. Not one moment had Cloud stopped and thought about taking care of himself. He pushed himself to the limit for Zack.

_"I did it to comfort you."_

Cloud woke up early, risked getting caught leaving the barracks without proper orders, skipping meals. He even cleaned out his refrigerator and made room for all the new groceries he hauled back on foot for Zack.

_"I did it because I know you'll do it for me, one day."_

Everything that Cloud had given as a reason made sense to Zack, as he would do it all for Cloud in a heartbeat, and he would, starting first thing in the morning. But it still wasn't settling right. There was something missing from it all, and when he had asked Cloud about it again, Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but then looked away, shaking his head.

Zack glanced over to the tray on his nightstand when the envelope reflecting a ray of sun that began to crawl onto it caught his eye. He ran his thumb under the flap and removed a single white piece of paper with Cloud's handwriting scrawled across it in black ink. Zack's eyes scanned the short message, and he lay there with Cloud in his arms for a long time, rereading it over to himself many times.

_"I did it all because I love you."_

Cloud fell asleep quickly to the sound of Zack whispering, "I love you, too.".

~*~ End ~*~

Ending A/N: OMG I DID IT! I had three very specific goals for myself with this. Use no actual conversational dialogue, finish it in under 4,000 words and … well, finish it. As a joke, I was gonna name this 'Mini Malady' since it was about them being sick and all. As you can see, this had no connections to Malady … except for one thing. Anyone catch it? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one-shot from your pal Ziggy! Happy Valentine's!


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